"Zanu PF - ZNA bond dates back to liberation war, it is unbreakable" - 2017 coup, etc. have proved otherwise W Mukori

 Zimbabwe is not the first and only country to gain her independence and sovereignty after a bitter armed struggle; many other nations have in Africa, Asia, North and South America, etc. have had a similar history. Whilst many countries have successfully transitioned from liberation struggle to an independent, sovereign and democratic nation in which the freedoms and rights of all the citizens are honoured and sacred. And these nations have enjoyed justice, peace, liberty and economic prosperity. Zimbabwe and a few other nations have taken a different route. 

It is no exaggeration that Zanu PF has never allowed the nation to transition from the liberation war mode after independence. Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies made it abundantly that if the party lost the 1980 elections then the bush war was going to continue. In other words Zanu PF had won the war to end white colonial oppression and was now turning the guns on the ordinary people in the fight to impose the Zanu PF dictatorship. 

Of course, the people voted to end the war. You do as you are told; it is foolish to argue looking up the business end of the AK47 rifle. 

Some people have argued that the 1980 Zanu PF threat to continue the bush war was completely justified; they did not trust the British and the surrogate white Rhodesians to hold free, fair and credible elections. All these doubts about Zanu PF’s dictatorial ambitions were laid to rest when the party launched the 1983 to 1987 Gukurahundi massacre whose principle purpose was to force the now late Dr Joshua Nkomo and his PF Zapu to disband and join Zanu PF to create the de facto one-party dictatorship that has ruled the nation with an iron fist to this day.  

 “Always be mindful that there is this unbreakable continuity between the liberation struggle and Zanu PF, between the armies of liberation Zipra and Zanla and the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) of independence,” said Zanu PF National Political Commissar, Patrick Chinamasa.

“Any notion which seeks to break this bond should be rejected outright.” 

“It (leadership of ZNA) speaks for itself who are the commanders of the army, who is the CDF [Commander Defence Forces], Cde Valerio Sibanda. Who was he? He was a leading general in Zipra. Who is the commander of the national army, Cde Edzayi Chimonyo? Who was he? He was a leading commander in Zanla. That culture of defending the sovereignty of this country will continue,” he said. 

Of course, this is nonsense! The country’s independence and sovereignty would not be compromised in any way if the bond between Zanu PF, the political party, and Zimbabwe National Army was broken. The later is a national institution, as long as the nation of Zimbabwe exists it will have a national army. Zanu PF is a political party and the party’s continued existence will depend on continued public support and that could be there today and gone tomorrow. 

The fight to end white colonial rule was fight for freedom, “One man, one vote!”, liberty, etc. These were the rallying cries of the liberation war dating back to the days of Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi. It was Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF who have changed and corrupted the goals and objectives of the revolution to suit their own selfish agenda. 

Millions of Zimbabweans from all walks of life have suffered in the fight for freedom and human rights and dignity for all and hundreds of thousands have died for this cause. Of course, they have been turning in their graves to see how Zanu PF has ridden roughshod over the people denying them their freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and even the right to life! 

Mugabe and his Zanu PF ruling elite have highjacked the revolution dumped all the values and principles the nation had cherished; all Mugabe and company wanted is absolute power for themselves. All Zimbabwe had done was to replace the whites oppressors with the black oppressor. 

To make sure the top brass in the ZNA supported Mugabe and his cronies’ blatant betrayal of the revolution’s ideals, Mugabe did what he had done with his own party leaders was to do with Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends - bribe the Army top brass. It is no secret that the top brass in the Army, Police, CIO and Prison Services have received generous salaries and allowance and are the principle beneficiaries of the wholesale looping of the nation’s resources including the Marange and Chiadzwa diamonds. 

The 41 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and tyrannical Zanu PF misrule has brought economic ruin to the nation. Basic services such as education and health care have all but collapse and 50% of the population now lives in abject poverty. 

In their desperate attempt to secure their own economic future the, looting in the Zanu PF ruling elite and their securocrat partners has gone into overdrive. The increased looting has been fuel to furnace behind the economic meltdown. 

Whilst the worsening economic situation has brought Zanu PF and the securocrats together, they both know regime change now will end the looting and where will they be without the looting. Still, even the dim witted amongst them know this looting is what is destroying the economy and is, therefore, unsustainable. 

The de facto Zanu PF dictatorship is serving the selfish interests of the few ruling elite at the expense of the long suffering majority. Zanu PF has failed to deliver freedom and human rights to the people and, even with the help of the corrupted ZNA, the party cannot hang on to power and hold the nation to ransom forever.

Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends should have implemented the democratic reforms, including reforms to break Zanu PF - ZNA bonds, during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when the country had the golden opportunity to do so. Unfortunately Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders and the opportunity was wasted. 

As the national economic cake shrunk with the worsen economic situation the fight amongst the ruling elite and their ZNA partners over the scraps has intensified. The 2017 military coup that toppled Robert Mugabe and replace him with Mnangagwa was triggered by the fear of losing power and sinking into poverty. 

Justice George Chiweshe ruled the 2017 coup was “justified, legal and constitutional”, to get Mnangagwa and his fellow coup plotters off the hook. Sadly, that has opened a Pandora Box. The regime is fearful on another military coup.

The safe and preferred way to bringing about meaningful change is for the people to demand the implementation of the democratic reforms and refuse to participate in the 2023 elections until all the democratic reforms are implemented. Educating the masses on the folly of participating in flawed elections is proving to be a real challenge but not mission impossible. Watch this space!  

“Zanu PF - ZNA bond is unbreakable!” The country’s worsening economic meltdown, the dog-eat-dong factional fighting amongst the Zanu PF ruling elite, the regime’s own frantic attempts to corral the people, the November 2017 coup, etc. are all proof the Zanu PF-ZNA bond is breaking and regime change is as certain as the sun rising tomorrow.